


Raise a Little Hell

by mothmansantennae



Category: Beetlejuice - All Media Types, Beetlejuice - Musical
Genre: A really bad role model, AU, Alternate Universe, Barbara is Mom, Beetlejuice has dad vibes, Bitchy High School Girls, Demon posession, Demons, Mentions of Suicide, No actual Beetlebabes, Other, Ouija Boards, Reference to rape (tw), Revenge, Sacrelig, Sleep Paralysis, Some hot flaming violence, Torture, more tags to come, tm - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-18 00:40:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21502432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothmansantennae/pseuds/mothmansantennae
Summary: A demon in a catholic school. Who would have guessed? He knows the kinds of rich assholes who attend, but when a different kind of girl tries to jump off of the roof on his watch, he decides he needs to help her. And, who said he couldn’t have his own fun in the process?
Relationships: Beetlejuice & Lydia Deetz, It’s platonic
Comments: 38
Kudos: 166





	1. Your Local Poltergeist

**Author's Note:**

> Let’s start off with saying this is gonna be a platonic fic. If you ship Beetlebabes,,,, Sorry. This still might interest you. 
> 
> I’ll be using the canonical spelling of Betelgeuse, I’m really sorry if that bugs you! I like the connection to the star. I think they chose Betelgeuse as his name because that star is long dead but we still see it. Is that canon? Am I just dumb and only noticing this now? Lmao help
> 
> Then,,, this is the first non-good-Omens fic I’m writing here, so,,,,, yeah. This will also be taking from their personalities in the musical because musical Betelgeuse is baby.

Being a poltergeist trapped within a catholic school was… ironic. Painful, entertaining, sure. If Betelgeuse had to be trapped anywhere, he would have chosen this place, he liked to think. He’d rather not be trapped at all, but that was neither here nor there. Sure, all of the religious imagery and worship sucked. Literally, he felt like it was sucking his soul from his— no, he didn’t have a body. Or a soul, now that he thought about it. Well, that analogy fell apart. 

The point was, he had his fun with religious kids. Burning bibles, turning crosses upside down (that didn’t do anything for him. It just became the cross of Saint Peter, but it seemed to freak people out), the like. The place had been exorcised many times, but whatever force kept him here, it kept him here good. He really wished that the priest could hear him. ‘I want out as much as you do!’ He would scream, but no one ever heard. 

Not like that was much different than day-to-day life. No one saw him, no one heard him. He’d come to accept that. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t deny it. When people could see him, back when he could roam about wherever he liked, he was seen. He was _known _. People knew the name Betelgeuse, they knew when to speak it. They knew what was making their lives hell.__

__Now, he was barely acknowledged. He was a prank, he was their imagination. He was a joke. Not the almighty Poltergeist Betelgeuse, he was the ghost of Canterbury School. It was humiliating. Most people believed he was a ghost story, not even acknowledging that the school had a fairly serious demon problem._ _

__He spent most of his time in the attic, then. It was a nice, spooky atmosphere, and he could get a little quiet. Not that the school was ever quiet—he made sure of that, but kids got annoying after a whole. See: a few hours. He did most of his haunting at night. Some kids would come up occasionally on dares, the occasional ouija sessions (his favorite, honestly), but other than that, he was largely unbothered._ _

__So, seeing a kid up here wasn’t so surprising. She was small, notably breaking uniform code by wearing a black button-up below the assigned sweater. Her cheek was swollen and bruised, her lip bleeding. It almost made him feel bad. He watched as she plopped herself down by the only window up here, getting out a notebook and pen. Attic was a weird place to do homework, he thought. He casually made his way over to the girl, leaning over her shoulder. Her writing was loopy, small. Reminded him of calligraphy, almost. He had to squint to read her notes—or what he thought would be notes._ _

_By the time you read this, I, Lydia Deetz, will be gone, _he sighed gently. If only this girl knew what she was going to get herself into—social work. _There’s nothing for me here. I’m alone… forsaken… invisible.___

_____ _

____

______“That makes two of us,” he huffed, turning on his heel to retreat back to his corner. The girl whipped around, looking up at him._ _ _ _ _ _

“Who the hell are _you _?” she asked, sounding bored. Betelgeuse’s eyes widened as he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked back to her, his face holding a look of bewilderment.__

____

____

________“You—you can see?” he asked, awestruck._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Uh, yeah?” the girl cocked a brow. What the hell was some middle aged, dirty man doing in the attic? If she cared a little more, she would have called for security._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“You can see me!” the demon went giddy at this realization. He cleared his throat, moving to pose himself more calm. “You see ghosts, huh?” he watched as the girl bit her already split lip, looking down with a sigh. No, she didn’t. If she did, she would have seen her mom, wouldn’t she? At the lack of an answer, Betelgeuse continued to speak. “Well, let me tell you, don’t kill yourself. Let me tell you, the netherworld is _so _much worse. Plus, if you off yourself, you’ve got to work in social services for the rest of eternity.”__

__She stared at him bordely. He cocked a brow. So, she wasn’t scared. That was a disappointment. But, he was speaking, interacting, with a human! It felt amazing, even if she wasn’t responding, _she could hear what he was saying.__ _

_____ _

_____ _

____________“You never answered my question,” she sighed, folding her arms._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Betelgeuse took this opportunity to produce a (long unused) business card that read: “ _Betelgeuse, the ‘Bio-Exorcist’. BETELGEUSE! BETELGEUSE! BETELGEUSE! SPEAK MY NAME 3 TIMES. FREE! DEMON POSSESSION with every EXORCISM*! Call now! BETELGEUSE! BETELGEUSE! BETELGEUSE! *Offer valid for one possession per customer._

____

____

______________“I’d be your local poltergeist,” he said proudly. “Jesus, it’s been millenia since anyone was able to see me! Girl, you’ve made my century._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Bet.. bet-tell-goose?” she murmured, making him cringe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Not quite,” he chuckled.  
“How do you pronounce it?” she asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Can’t say my own name, that’s for summoning only,” he rolled his eyes, pointing to the part that read _SPEAK MY NAME 3 TIMES._

____

____

________________She turned the card around in her hands a few times, trying to pronounce it once more. “Beetle-juice? Betelgeuse?” he snapped, grinning._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“That’s it!” he hummed, grinning as he floated a circle around here. “Shit, you’re beat up, what happened to ya, Lydia?” he asked. She folded her arms._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“How do you know my name?” she asked pointedly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Wrote it in your note,” he explained simply. He picked up the note from where it sat, promptly making it burst into flames._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Lydia rolled her eyes. “It’s not much your business, now is it?” Betelgeuse sighed, giving her his best puppy-dog eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Come on, Lyds. I’ve been completely alone for God knows how long. Can’t’ch’a be a friend for a poor ole’ demon?” he begged. “Was it other kids? I could help with that. It’s been too long since I’ve had a good torture session. I could make you queen of this shithole!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________She cocked a brow. Why did he care so much? She did have to admit, she felt sorry for him (she couldn’t imagine more than a year of a miserable, lonely existence), but she would rather just jump._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Why do you stay in a Catholic school, anyways? Isn’t it a little… holy, for a demon?” she asked, shifting her weight to one side. “Wait, are you the ‘ghost’ everyone’s been blabbering on about?” she cocked a perfectly shaped brow. He groaned._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“One: I can’t leave. No clue why, I’ve been here longer than I care to admit. Two: Unfortunately. I can’t do much without someone properly incanting me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________She hummed inquisitively. “And what would you do if you were properly incanted?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Oh, man, you’ve got no clue. Strangle every priest in this place, give them a real, violent, proper possession...I’m not much for dragging souls to the Netherworld, but I love makin’ people wish they were dead already.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“And how would one do that? Properly summon you?” She watched as he tapped the card in her hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Say my name three times. Three times in a row, it’s gotta be unbroken,” he explained. “Why, thinking about makin’ those kids pay? Man, you’ve got no idea what I could do to them. Say it, I’m all yours.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“And what’s the catch, Mr. Geuse?” she asked, tilting her head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Honestly? Nothing, at this point. Raising hell is more than enough payment for me, I just… wanna make people know my name again. Back in the 1300s, they thought I was bringin’ around the plague. That’s how famous I was.” he sighed, huffing and folding his arms. “Wanna be more than some measly ghost. Come on, Lydia, I can make their lives living hell. Anything you want, boss, I can do. But first, you’ve got to say my name.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Lydia hummed, spinning on her heel as she paced a circle. If she thought about this logistically, she could really use this. God, her own personal demon to do what she pleased? To anyone? It sounded great. “Betelgeuse…” she tapped her dark lips in thought. What could she do first? Torture? Nightmares? Would she go one by one, making them all go insane? “Betelgeuse,” But what if there was a catch? Demons could lie, no problem. Did it matter? She was going to kill herself anyways, she didn’t value her life. “Are you gonna do it all at once?” she asked, grinning as he groaned loudly. “Or one by one?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Anything you want! Just say it, I’ll do anything you say!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________She laughed softly, reaching up to pat his back. She was surprised when her hand actually met tangible fabric. “I’ll sleep on it, how ‘bout that?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________The demon sighed unhappily, folding his arms. “What’s your dorm, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Why do you need to know?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Partially, so I can find you. Mostly because, I really need a friend, please indulge me!” she smiled a bit, shaking her head as she picked up her bag._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“645.” She began back out of the attic, cocking a brow as he continued following. “Gonna stalk me, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“It’s not technically stalking! Besides, I wanna see what kids bug ya. Gotta see the targets,” he hummed happily. She rolled her eyes, deciding to just indulge him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Fine, but I’m not gonna talk to you and make myself look like a psycho.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________He nodded, shrugging. “Yeah, alright. That sounds good.” He floated a few feet behind her as she made her way to class, noting how many people gave her nasty looks, one boy going as far as shoving her aside as she passed him. With a snap, the boy immediately tripped over his own feet. Lydia paused, looking back to the demon with a cocked brow. A smile ghosted her lips._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________She slipped into her class, and Betelgeuse nearly missed the turn. He backed up, following her in. From what he could see, this was some sort of animal class. He scrunched up his nose at the familiar smell of formaldehyde. He, personally, was embalmed with arsenic. Which smelled much better. He stayed floating around Lydia as she sat down. “You don’t strike me at an animal person,” he muttered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________She glanced up at him, nodding towards the front where a plethora of packaged sheep hearts. He smiled some, nodding. “Ah,” he hummed, moving to sit on the table beside her. Ne noted that no one sat by Lydia, even with the three-person tables. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“What, it isn’t like you’ve got the plague, or nothing,” he wondered. Lydia shrugged simply. She scribbled on a piece of scratch paper, _I said Hail Satan ONCE as a joke, now they avoid me like the plague._

_____ _

_____ _

__________________The demon burst into laughter, making Lydia smile gently. “Oh,” he began. “That’s gold! Man. Christian kids are so easy to freak out, it’s great.” The teacher droled on about the safety of what they had to do, while the kids passed out all the equipment needed for the lab. He cocked a brow, leaning down to inspect the scalpel as Lydia took it out of the small kit. “That isn’t even sharp. What do they expect you to do with it, aggressively poke people? Play swords?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The sentiment made her giggle quietly, earning her a few looks. She quickly whacked Betelgeuse’s leg under the table, making him yelp. “What?” He whined. “I can’t help that I’ve got an amazing sense of humor, kid.” He watched as she put on her gloves, beginning to carefully cut into the lateral side of the heart. He frowned, huffing. “They took out all the fun stuff? No blood, and it looks so..” he poked the thing. “It’s so hard. That’s not what a real heart feels like. They’re squishy, and bloody.” She looked up to him, giving him a look that said, ‘Please, just shut up.’_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He smiled a bit, leaning down to look at the organ. “You know, if you incant me, I can make all of these real, bloody, beating hearts with the blink of an eye.” The girl shook her head, shoving him away from where she was working. He huffed, resolving to sit and watch. He was suspiciously well behaved for the hour, but Lydia was just grateful that he wasn’t making her laugh anymore._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________In reality, Betelgeuse was taking note of every stink eye Lydia got, every sneer, listening to every whisper. He had taken an unnaturally quick liking to the girl, maybe it was just that she talked to him. But, it was also how much he related to her. Her attempt of suicide, how people treated her. He saw his mortal self in her. And he didn’t want her to end up like he did._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________God, he couldn’t wait to destroy these twerps._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. Triple Entendre

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey kids there are mentions of rape and talk of suicide here, be careful.
> 
> As far as this chapter goes, musical Betelgeuse May be a perv, but he’s a respectful perv.

He just had to wait for her breaking point. That was it. He could wait. He was a dead man, he could wait. That was all he ever did. But.. it had been a week. It had been a week of Lydia being berated, bullied, and beaten, and not once did she call on Betelgeuse to help. It made him feel… powerless, in a sense. The most he could do right now was inconvenience the kids. 

This girl was hard to get to. She seemed to enjoy his presence, that was something. She tolerated him. She talked to him. She didn’t correct him when he called her a friend. She didn’t tell him to fuck off. It was nice. But he found it physically (well, as physically as he could. Metaphysically?) hurt when he had to watch Lydia suffer. He’d talk to her every night about it. “Just say it. I’ll make them pay,” he would say as she bandaged her knees. “Lydia, you can ruin them. _I _can ruin them,” he would beg, watching her scrub vandalism off of her dorm‘s door.__

__Yet, she’d resent. She’d go to bed, she’d stay quiet. Would she ever break? As soon as she did, he would raise hell. He would make everyone in this school wish they were dead._ _

__But, she did. Eventually. He had a suspicion, it was actually for him. When two boys cornered her, he was absolutely horrified as they started grabbing at her, saying things like, “I thought goth girls liked sleeping around,” and “No one like’s a prude, Deetz.” He was sure if he hadn’t reacted the way he did, she would have just… allowed it to happen._ _

__“Come on, slut, lighten up a bit,” one said,_ _

__“Betelgeuse,” she muttered, her voice weak._ _

__“What was that?” The other hummed._ _

__“Betelgeuse,” she repeated, a little louder. The demon hovered above the two boys, and he grit his teeth when she paused again._ _

__“Say it! Please!” He balled his fists, looking down to the boys._ _

__“Hell is that?” He chuckled. “Talking nonsense again, are we?”_ _

__“Betelgeuse!”_ _

__“Yes!” The demon grinned as he landed on the ground, raising his hands. Two black and white striped— snakes? She thought they were snakes—broke through the floorboards, winding up and constricting around the boys. He chuckled as one screamed. He manipulated them so Lydia had an out, which she took gladly, rushing to his side and holding him. When he twisted them around to face them, they could see him. And boy, was he angry._ _

__“What do I do to them, Lyds? Want ‘em dead right now?” He asked, looking down as she clung to him. “I could hang them by their toes, or out the window,” he mused, “Or break their minds.”_ _

__She looked up at the last suggestion, nodding. “Do it,” she ordered. She watched as their faces contorted in horror, the worm-like creatures retreating back to wherever they had come from. They started screaming, wailing at whatever sick and twisted images were now planted behind their eyes. Betelgeuse laughed heartily, watching until they heard footsteps approaching. With a snap of his fingers, the two were back in Lydia’s dorm, the footage from the security cameras regarding the situation gone._ _

__“You okay, kid?” He ask, letting her hug onto him. “What assholes,” he muttered. “If a girl doesn’t wanna fuck you, just, eh, worth a try, and then piss off,” he said, mostly to himself. She laughed weakly, sighing._ _

__“Yeah?” She asked, pulling back to hold herself instead. The demon went back to comfortably floating._ _

__“Don’t get me wrong, I love a good shag as much as the next guy, but when it’s a no, it’s a no.” He went to pat her head. “Felt good seein’ ‘em suffer, didn’t it? Say the word, boss, I’ll do it.”_ _

__“It.. did,” she admitted, sitting down on her bed. “Those guys are probably the biggest assholes in the school. Wouldn’t surprise me if they got all their pussy that way,” she sighed._ _

__“Oh man, I can probably cook up something special for that. Like, the most painful STD in existence. What about syphilis? It’ll make ‘em look like clowns, too.” He watched her carefully, sighing at the small smile on her lips._ _

__“Go ahead, big guy,” she hummed, closing her eyes. “What were those things that tied them up?”_ _

__“Oh, sandworms. I created them myself, actually. Now they’re all over the Netherworld, but they answer to me.”_ _

__“Cool,” she hummed, looking up. “They kinda remind me of snakes. I like snakes,” she mumbled._ _

__“...are you okay, kid? Anything I can do? Doesn’t even have to be revenge, I can do a lot, and you’re the boss.”_ _

__She sighed heavily, shaking her head. “Just a little shaken, is all,” she forced a smile. “Can everyone see you, now?” She wondered._ _

__“Just who I let see me. You said you wanted this one by one, slow? I can still hang around, and no one’ll know.” He pat her shoulder, moving to sit down beside her. The bed shifted, this time, reaching to a tangible weight now that he was properly here. It caught her off guard. She laughed a little after flinching, sighing and laying back._ _

__“You said you could do other things, too? Can you get me food?” She wondered._ _

__“I can,” he answered proudly. “Pop in and out of anywhere, reach straight into vending machines. What’d’ya want?” He asked._ _

__“Cola,” she hummed. “The vending machine by the gym has crystal pepsi,” she sat up some._ _

__“Your wish is my command,” he nodded, disappearing into faint green smoke. She sighed some, laying back. Half of her was disgusted for enjoying the pain of others, but… it really was awesome. She figured she lost her morality when she had resigned on killing herself._ _

__Betelgeuse was back in a few seconds, handing her a cold bottle of soda. “There ya go, boss,” he grinned, watching as she sat up to take it._ _

__“Thank you,” she chuckled, opening the bottle and taking a sip. “So you’re like, my pet demon now, right? Emotional support goblin?” She joked. “Oh, I wanted to ask… are you a demon? Or a person? Cause you act like a demon. But you mention dying and living.”_ _

__“If we’re being technical, I’m a level six malevolent spirit— or I was, I haven’t been doing much lately. But, my mom was a demon, succubus— and my dad was a person. Boom, you got whatever the fuck I am.” He gave her a smile._ _

__“So, you were alive, at one point?”_ _

__“Yep. Totally normal kid, I only got all my demon kicks when I died.”_ _

__“...’Scuse me for asking, you don’t have to answer, but how did you die?”_ _

__He frowned, floating above her. “Hung myself. Tied the noose wrong, it took about an hour for me to die. Not a great way to go out. You were smart to think to jump instead.”_ _

__Lydia went quiet, looking down at her hands. “Is… that why you stopped me?”_ _

__“Yeah,” he smiled softly. “Plus, you could hear me. I wasn’t about to let you die,” he teased, hitting her shoulder. “But, for real. Anyone who commits suicide ends up a social worker for al eternity. I only got out because of the whole demon thing.” He closed his eyes, tipping his head back. “My boss didn’t like me, either. Juno, something or other, slit her throat. You’d be surprised how some people kill themselves. There’s a guy down there that blew himself up. This girl whipped her horse then jumped in front. Creative, I’ve gotta admit.” He paused, shaking his head. “Sorry, I’m ramblin’. Probably shouldn’t be giving you ideas.”_ _

__She scrunched up her face. “Don’t worry, I’m not keen on living my un-life as a social worker. You know how much I like interacting with other people.” She sighed, finishing off her soda. That sounded miserable, even more miserable than living. And she wasn’t part demon (that she knew of), so she wouldn’t get out like he did. She shook off the heavy conversation, sighing softly._ _

__“So,” Betelgeuse began. “Who are we targeting next?”_ _

__“Mm. Don’t know. Whoever fucks with me next. Which, knowing her, will be this bitch named Kandy.”_ _

__“I’ve never known of a single Kandy who isn’t a bitch,” Betelgeuse laughed. “And what do you wanna do to her?”_ _

__Lydia sat up, tapping her lips. “What about sleep deprivation? Can you do that?”_ _

__“Yeah! I like how you think,” he grinned. “I can give her sleep paralysis until she breaks.”_ _

__Lydia had to laugh at his excitement. “I’m starting slow,” she hummed, leaning back on her hands. “So this place doesn’t get evacuated.”_ _

__“Oh man, this’ll be good,” he grinned._ _

__-_ _

__Lydia was right. Now, she loves weekends, but it gave her too much time to be seen, and too much time for assholes to think. She was sitting at the back of the cafeteria, eating quietly. Not about to start anything. She just wanted to be left in peace with her tater tots. Betelgeuse was off somewhere, doing whatever dead guys did. She wondered what he did in his free time. Did he sleep? Could he sleep? She was thinking too much about this._ _

__Enough that she didn’t see Kandy and her friends approaching her, trays in hand. She only looked up when a tray was slammed down before her. On weekends, no one wore uniform, and of course, this was ammo._ _

__“You know, Lydia,” she began, not taking any action to sit down. “Why do you only wear black?”_ _

__The girl rolled her eyes. “I just like the color, is that such a crime?”_ _

__“I don’t know. I prefer white, myself. But.. I guess you’d blend right in with it, huh?” She hummed, picking up her small box of milk._ _

__“I guess,” she rolled her eyes. She didn’t sound phased at all, to Kandy’s chagrin._ _

__“Maybe we should see what it looks like on you.” She popped open the milk, promptly dumping it all over Lydia. It was now painfully obvious the stuff was expired, chunky and foul smelling. She gasped, spitting out what got into her mouth._ _

__The girls were laughing so hard, they didn’t notice Lydia begin to speak. It wasn’t for them, though. It was quiet, under her breath. “Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse.” She didn’t know any other way to call him. But it worked. The demon appeared by her side, scrunching her face up at the smell._ _

__“Jesus,” he gagged. “Oh, man. Is this the Kandy girl?” He asked, pointing to her. She nodded, beginning to wipe her face off with the shitty, one ply napkin she was provided. He nodded a bit, sitting down beside her. “I’ll start on that whole deprivation thing. But we can have some fun while we’re here,” he hummed, watching her walk away. As she began to eat her own lunch, Betelgeuse snapped his fingers. The first bite she took , she choked violently, placing a hand on her chest. She coughed in vain, so someone had to come help her. Lydia smiled some, pushing herself to stand._ _

__“Thanks, Beej,” she sighed. “I’m gonna go wash up… and throw out this dress, I guess. It was damn expensive, too.”_ _

__“Oh, I’ll fix it, if you just leave it out,” he offered, enjoying the easy smile that came to her lips._ _

__“Thank you.”_ _

__Now, you would think, if you see ghosts, people don’t really scare you. But when Lydia turned around to see a girl she didn’t know right there, she jumped. It made him dissolve into laughter. She sighed, putting her hand on her chest. “You scared the shit out of me!”_ _

__The girl smiled apologetically, putting her hands up. “I’m sorry! Sorry. Uh— Hi. My name is Sky. I just. Wanted to check on you.”_ _

__Lydia couldn’t help but laugh at that. And continued to laugh, until she caught on. “Oh— oh. You’re not joking.”_ _

__“Why would I joke about that?” She frowned._ _

__“I just had a girl pour sour milk on me. I’ve run out of hope for humanity,” she mumbled. “Sorry. Uh, yes. I’m okay. Not the worst thing she’s done to me.”_ _

__“Oh, man. Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up— what’s your name?”_ _

__“You’re new, aren’t you?” She asked, glancing back to Betelgeuse as she was guided away. He gave her an ‘okay’ sign, nodding a bit._ _

__“How could you tell?”_ _

__“Everyone knows my name,” she laughed weakly. “I’m Lydia.”_ _

__“Oh, you’re popular here? Sorry.”_ _

__“I guess you could say that. I’m known as your friendly neighborhood satan worshipper. Or, that’s what people’ll tell you. I don’t really.” Sky scrunched up her nose, bringing her to her own dorm. It was so much bigger than Lydia’s, so much cleaner._ _

__“Oh, that’s a stupid rumor to start. It could get you kicked out!”_ _

__“You’re telling me.”_ _

__“Well— here. My shower’s right there, I’ll get a bag for your clothes and something to wear.”_ _

__“I have my own dorm, you know.”_ _

__“I—“ she reddened, looking down. “Mine was closer, and I was just—“_ _

__“Hey, you’re fine. I appreciate it,” Lydia hummed, smiling. “Thank you.”_ _

__She disappeared to the bathroom, peeling her soiled dress off once the door was locked. What was with people and liking her these days? First, Betelgeuse, and even weirder, a classmate. She stepped in the shower, turning it to the coldest it got. She stole a little bit of soap, just to get the smell off. There was a knock on the door while she had her eyes securely shut under the water. “Yeah?” She called._ _

__“Hey! It’s me again. Sky, that is— oh, man. There’s a bag and some clothes out here, and a clean towel!”_ _

__She couldn’t help but smile at how flustered she was. “Thank you!”_ _

__Once she was fairly clean, she shut off the water, wringing out her hair. She quickly opened the door, snatching the items up before closing it again. She smiled a bit at the clothes choice, black shorts and a navy t-shirt. Probably the darkest things Sky owned, with what she was wearing. She dried off, bagged the dress, and got dressed._ _

__When she stepped out, she saw Sky sitting on her bed— that wasn’t weird. There was another girl who she didn’t recognize sitting on the other bed. Right, most people had roommates. No, what was weird, was seeing Betelgeuse sitting in the center of the room. She cocked a brow at him, but just went over to Sky._ _

__“Hey, thank you,” Lydia began, smiling gently. She felt weird to have people see her with no makeup. “I’ll get these washed and back to you as soon as possible. If you don’t end up hating me by then.”_ _

__“Why would you assume that?” She asked, pushing herself up._ _

__“Everyone does, at one point or another.”_ _

__“Nonsense. Here, I’ll walk you back to your dorm,” she offered, picking up the bag containing her dress. She was going to argue, but Sky took her elbow, leading her out. Betelgeuse quickly scrambled to follow._ _

__A few minutes into walking, Sky finally spoke. “Have you heard those stories about this place being haunted?” She asked._ _

__Lydia tossed a playful sneer at the Demon trailing them. “Yeah, I have. Why?”_ _

__“Do you think it is?”_ _

__“Wholeheartedly.”_ _

__“Yeah… I feel something off, here. And I’ve only been here for a while, but sometimes, when I’m sitting in the courtyard, I feel like something is right there.”_ _

__“I was there before her,” Betelgeuse called out._ _

__“Yeah?” She glanced back to him. “I hear you usually find it in the attic.”_ _

__“Really?” Sky let go of her arm to wring her hands. “I really want to know if it’s real. Is that stupid?”_ _

__“No, nope. Hey, why don’t you go up there and do a seance or something?” She joked, but Sky looked like she was seriously considering it._ _

__Lydia stopped at the end of the hall, pointing to her scratched up, stained from sharpie door. “Thank you for all the help, really.”_ _

__“Of course! You can always come find me if you need anything. I won’t hate you,” she promised. Lydia chuckled some, waving as she opened her door. She watched Betelgeuse dash in, and she soon followed._ _


	3. The Witching Hour

Lydia, by now, was used to being watched in her sleep. She found Betelgeuse had nothing better to do some nights. So, when she heard a knock at the door at 2:48 A.M., she figured it was him, being a dick and not letting himself in. But, when she sat up, he was where he always was, sitting on the floor. She raised a brow, but he only shrugged. She dragged herself out of bed, over to the door. She opened it without looking, yawning some. 

Sky stood there, looking nervous as all hell, a bag on her back. “What the hell are you doing up this late?” She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. 

“Lydia!” Her voice was a hushed shout. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry, I know it’s late. But… I found a Ouija board… and you have to do it with more than one person, and, oh dear, it’s almost three. I didn’t plan this very well. Point is, you said the ghost liked the attic, do you wanna see if we can talk to them?”

Lydia rolled her eyes as Betelgeuse began cackling, saying, “Do it, do it! This will be so funny!” He skirted out before her, passing right through Sky. The girl shuddered violently. 

“Yeah, sure,” she yawned. “Lemme get some shoes,” she murmured, going to her small wardrobe and digging around in the bottom. She followed the two out, locking the door behind her. “You know where the attic is?”

“Oh— no, I was hoping you would.” Lydia laughed quietly, waving her to follow. Betelgeuse was about to open the attic for them, a little spook, but Lydia shook her head, doing it herself. 

“After you,” she hummed sleepily, watching as Sky shakily ascended the stairs. She followed up after, letting Betelgeuse close the door.

Sky sat down, beginning to unpack her bags. Lydia had to say, she was impressed. She had a legit board, candles, even a little offering of food. Too bad he couldn’t eat. 

She sat down across from her, watching her slowly light all the candles. She took a shaky breath, looking at her watch. “Okay, it’s three,” she whispered, placing two fingers on the dinky planchette. Lydia did the same.

Sky closed her eyes, gritting her teeth. Betelgeuse knelt down next to them, placing his fingers on an empty space of the plastic. “Is..” she began, taking a breath in. “Is there anyone here, w-with us?” She asked, making him groan. He wanted exciting questions. He rolled his eyes, moving it to yes. 

Sky watched in horror as the planchette moved. It didn’t feel like it was coming from Lydia. She took a thick gulp. “Are you… a ghost?” 

He looked to Lydia, shrugging some. “Let’s see,” he murmured, thinking for a moment. Ultimately, he moved it to NO. 

“Are— what are you?” She asked. He guided the planchette about the alphabet, humming gently. _B-E-T-E-L-G-E-U-S-E, _he wrote, making Lydia roll her eyes.__

__“Bettle goose?” She asked, confusion painting her face._ _

__“Betelgeuse,” Lydia murmured under her breath._ _

__“What does it mean?” She asked hurriedly._ _

__“I think… it’s his name.” She sounded more bored than she intended to. Betelgeuse placed his fingers back on the planchette, slowly turning it to Sky. She yelped, retracting her hand. One by one, the demon blew out the candles (much easier with a semi-physical form, mind you), and walked behind Sky. He had a wicked grin on his face._ _

__With a wave of his hand, Sky was in the club that could see him. Feel him, hear him. He rushed to cover her eyes, whispering, “Boo.”_ _

__Sky screamed bloody murder, but with a little trick on his part, no one heard. He and Lydia burst into laughter at the same moment, the girl having to double over and clutch her stomach. Betelgeuse let go of Sky, letting her turn around to look at him. She did so quickly, then at Lydia. “Why are you laughing?! There’s a—“_ _

__“Oh my god, that was good,” Lydia was still regaining her composure. He chuckled, floating back over to her and leaning his arm on the top of her head. “Sorry, Sky, it was his idea,” she was still smiling._ _

__The girl was staring in horror, white as a sheet. She watched as he leaned down to grab the rice krispy treat she had brought, examining it before handing it to Lydia._ _

__She hummed, looking up at him, then to Sky. The candles relit themselves all at once. “This,” she began, opening the treat, “is my pet demon.”_ _

__“I thought we settled on emotional support goblin,” he interjected with a grin._ _

__“What about service rat?” She countered. Sky followed the conversation back and forth, finally closing her mouth._ _

__“A… demon?” She squeaked._ _

__“More or less,” he hummed, moving to hover above the both of them._ _

__“You.. you don’t seem.. very demon-y…”_ _

__“He’s chill,” Lydia explained through a mouthful of marshmallow._ _

__“How— how did you— where.. how do you know a demon?”_ _

__“She decided to—“ he was cut off by Lydia slapped her hand over his mouth._ _

__“I see ghosts, I guess. Or, I could see him.”_ _

__“I can see him..”_ _

__“Cause I’ve been properly summoned,” he explained. “By this brat,” he jabbed a thumb towards Lydia, making her smile. “Anyone could see me now, if I wanted them to. My main M.O. right now is protecting her from assholes, so you’re on the nice list. I wonder— If you actually see ghosts. Or if it’s just me.”_ _

__“We’ll never know,” she shrugged, beginning to fold up the board._ _

__“Sure we can! There are plenty of ghosts under this joint. Blocked off basement.”_ _

__“So why are they down there, and you’re up here?”_ _

__“Demon privilege. Also, they actually do their work. Hm. Hold on, I gotta think of ones I can stand,” he put a finger on his chin. Sky leaned over to Lydia, taking her hand._ _

__“This is a dream, yeah?” She asked, beginning to pinch herself. No, she felt that._ _

__“Ah!” Betelgeuse landed on his feet, placing two fingers in his mouth, and whistled loudly. Lydia’s head whipped around when she heard two distinct thumps. There, on top of each other, were a 20-something-looking couple, the woman glaring at Betelgeuse. “A-dot, B-town, old pals!”_ _

__They crawled up off of each other, the woman speaking. “You could warn us before you do that, Mr. Juice. What do you even—“ she paused when she noticed Lydia was staring right out here. “New ghost?”_ _

__“Nope!” Betelgeuse grinned proudly. “This here’s Lydia. She’s alive. Physically, at least,” he explained as he pulled her to her feet. “She can see us! How cool is that?”_ _

__The woman reached out a tentative hand, placing it on her shoulder. When she found her hand landed on it, she immediately wrapped the girl in an embrace. Sky saw her nightgown crumple from the hug, but not what was causing it._ _

__“God, Adam, look at her!” She began, pulling back to run around her. “She has a pulse! She’s warm?”_ _

__“Adam?” Lydia repeated, looking to her amused partner._ _

__“That’d be me,” he raised his hand, waving a bit. “Hey— Barbara, you’re going to scare her. Let her be, she’s not our kid.”_ _

__“She apparently hangs out with this creep, I don’t think I could scare her if I wanted to.” Lydia giggled, letting Barbara examine her. She felt so… important, for a moment. So many people were.. interacting with her._ _

__“What the fuck is happening?” Sky whispered._ _

__“Woah! Didn’t think I’d ever hear you say that,” Betelgeuse teased. “You seem like the kind’a person that thinks sex is a bad word!”_ _

__“Pardon me!” She began to stand up. “I’m standing before a demon and whatever is happening over there!” Lydia turned to look at here._ _

__“We’ll there’s a ghost named Adam, there, and this is, Barbara? Right?” She was returned with an enthusiastic nod. “Barbara.” She turned back to the spirits before her. “How did you die, if I can?”_ _

__“We,” Adam had to laugh as he stepped forward. “We fell through the floorboards.”_ _

__Lydia joined him in his giggles, covering her face. “That’s so lame!” She laughed._ _

__“I know!” Barbara grinned. “Wish we could say we went out all cool, like.. murder, or something.”_ _

__“Forgive them, they’re pottery barn people,” Betelgeuse cut in. “Alright, I’ll send ya back down. It’s almost four,” he shooed them away, and they disappeared into smoke._ _

__“Shit, you’re right. We’ve got that test tomorrow,” Lydia groaned._ _

__“On it,” Betelgeuse offered. “Nice to meet ya, Sky. See you around.”_ _

__He snapped his fingers, and both girls were back in their rooms, safely tucked in bed._ _


	4. Update

Aha this thing just blew the fuck up so might fuck around and continue it oops


	5. Uhhhhhhh

So like sorry for disappearing for like 278 days but i do be back and will probably update this depending on how busy i am, working in a hospital and all. Finally read all the comments under this after its abandonment and if any rogue subs are still out there.... soon


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